While barely any American helicopters served in World War II and few flew in Korea, Vietnam was a proving ground for many airframes — everything from the venerable Huey to Chinooks sporting huge guns.

One of the most dangerous helicopter assignments was a tiny scout helicopter known as the "Loach." Officially designated the OH-6 Cayuse, these things were made of thin plexiglass and metal but were expected to fly low over the jungles and grass, looking for enemy forces hiding in the foliage.

They were usually joined by Cobra gunships — either in hunter-killer teams where the Loach hunted and the Cobra killed or in air mobile cavalry units where both airframes supported cavalry and infantrymen on the ground.

A U.S. Army OH-6 Cayuse "Loach" helicopter at the U.S. Army Aviation Museum at Fort Rucker, Alabama. (Photo: Alan Wilson/CC BY SA 2.0)

In the hunter-killer teams, the Loach would fly low over the jungle, drawing fire and then calling for the Cobra to kill the teams on the ground.

In air mobile teams, a pilot would fly low while an observer would scan the ground for signs of the enemy force. Some of them were able to tell how large a force was and how recently it had passed. They would then call in scouts on the ground or infantrymen to hunt for the enemy in the brush while attack helicopters protected everyone.

Cobra AH-1 attack helicopters were often deployed with Loaches to provide greater firepower. (Photo: U.S. Army)

Queer John was famous not just for crashing, but for keeping the crew safe while it did so. An Army article written after John's seventh crash credited it with surviving 61 hits from enemy fire and seven crashes without losing a single crew member.